Getting heard in New Delhi Dilip Cherian Everyone needs the government on their side. A look at how to interpret the idiosyncracies of the powers-that-be. Do you often feel out on a limb when dealing with the government? This article may be of some help if you do, keeping in mind that there is no […]

Menon needs manpower For some time now the MEA (Ministry of External Affairs) has been struggling to keep pace with the increased demands on its resources and expertise. The diplomatâ€™s role has never been more demanding than in todayâ€™s complex unipolar, globalised world. Many of Menonâ€™s predecessors recognised the need and could see the changes […]

Pmspeak for babus The recent Civil Services Day celebration in the national capital recently was an occasion for Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to berate the gathered babus for having allowed an â€œInspector Rajâ€ image of government to take root. He further warned that the â€œcreaking systemâ€ couldnâ€™t be allowed to persist. The Prime Minister minced […]

Modi wants officers to go on spending spree With the spectre of elections looming large over Gujarat, Narendra Modi has revved his administration into overdrive. In what may become the narrative of the Gujarat government until December, Modi has raised the cap on non-approved expenditure from Rs 10 crores to a staggering Rs 120 crores, […]

Media guidance The Karnataka Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy while addressing his babus recently urged them to cultivate the habit of reading newspapers daily so that they could understand the problems of the people. â€œOpen your eyes and read the newspapers. They give useful information, which you do not know. Solve the problems based on the […]

Babu churn in Punjab It is an accepted fact that when the political equations in a state change, the tremors are, unfortunately, rather severely felt in the babu clan as well. The newly formed BJP-Shiromani Akali Dal government in Punjab is no exception. In an unholy hurry to distance itself from tribesmen associated with its […]

Officer-like qualities The wheels of Indian bureaucracy are turning. However as is usual, rather slowly. After more than four decades, the government has moved to amend the performance appraisal procedures for our babus. With the All India (Performance Appraisal Report) Rules 2007, notified in mid-March, the government hopes to usher in an era of good […]

Nitishâ€™s babu trouble Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has been complaining to the Centre about the dearth of babus in his state. His grouse is that the previous government of Rabri Devi did not seek to increase the strength of the state cadre following the bifurcation of Bihar and creation of Jharkhand. Therefore, the state […]

Babus go on and on Old habits die hard. Our babus, therefore, rather naturally, get so accustomed to their kursi and the power that flows from it that many are reluctant to fade into the sunset when the time comes to bid goodbye to all that. Not everyone, I must hasten to add, lingers on, […]

Manpower crunch Rattled by the exodus of senior babus for the greener pastures of the private sector, the Central government, it seems, is formulating a new policy aimed to discourage the trend. Apparently, a clause in the present guidelines gives babus the option of unpaid leave up to five years. This clause has now become […]